The Gamers: Dorkness Rising
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is a feature length film produced by Dead Gentlemen Production and focuses on a group of table-top gamers as they attempt to beat their adventure. While the film is set in the same universe as and has a similar theme to its predecessor, The Gamers, it is not a direct sequel to the first film, as it focuses on a different group of players. Also, unlike its predecessor, this film dedicates a substantial portion of the film to the players themselves, and not their characters. It began filming in 2005 and was set for release in 2006 and was finally released at GenCon in Indianapolis by Anthem Pictures on August 14, 2008. Plot The film opens with a trio of Dungeons & Dragons characters facing the final villain. However, they are quickly killed and the players blame the game master, Lodge, claiming he did not follow the rules and plotted against them. While Leo and Gary wish to play a different game the following week, Cass demands to play the same campaign again, even though they just played it for the second time, to preserve his reputation that there is no game he cannot win. Lodge wishes to publish his campaign as an official Dungeons & Dragons game module, but he is having trouble writing it: he knows how he wants it to end, but his players never actually finish the module. Gary suggests that for the next game they bring in two more players, in order to have a more well-rounded party. While Lodge consult with his friend Mark (the lone survivor of the first The Gamers movie. Remember? Mark the Red?), Cass is able to recruit his ex-girlfriend Joanna. However, Lodge is unable to find anyone (despite asking fifteen regular gamers) and resolves to be the fifth player (though he does not reveal this at first). The campaign begins when the characters Luster, Flynn the Fine, and Daphne are summoned before King Erasamus the Randomly Biased. The evil necromancer Mort Kemnon has discovered an artifact known as the Mask of Death and wishes to use this to overthrow the kingdom. As they go on their way, they are summoned before the Hierophant of the Sacred Order of Therin who sends two members of his order to accompany the party, Brother Silence and Sir Osric -- the latter of whom the other players (with the exception of Johanna) take an instant dislike to, as Lodge created Osric just to keep the story on track. On their way, the group runs into a large party of goblins. The men's overconfidence is shattered when Joanna singlehandedly wipes out the entire party of goblins, even though the men thought that she created a poor character. Resting at an inn near Westhaven, the group faces Mort Agrippa and defeat him. They head out for Westhaven and decide to stop playing for the night. Lodge explains to Joanna the reasons why he keeps the other players on such a short leash: if he does not, they will kill, plunder, and impregnate the gaming world. The following week, the players continue the campaign by facing Drazuul in the town of Westhaven. Due to his character's weak traits, Leo goes through multiple copies of the character (Leo's death-prone bard is a running joke throughout the film) until the players are able to cleverly defeat Drazuul by hiding behind "the mound of dead bards". Torturing Drazuul with holy water, they learn of Mort Kemnon's location. Making their way through an abandoned mineshaft, they find a henchman from the previous campaign and take all the equipment. The battle goes poorly for the players, until Lodge's cat messes up the floor-tiles and Cass distracts Lodge while they place their characters in more preferable positions. After a lengthy battle with Kemnon (with Silence using a lightsaber, a shotgun, an "Orc-B-Gone" chainsaw, and dynamite), Kemnon is defeated and cryptically implies there is another enemy. It is revealed to be the Hierophant, who intends to use the Mask to rekindle the Light of Therin. The group then realizes that the "Heart of Therin", the church's most sacred relic, is actually a prison housing the deity. Leo finally proves to be of use, evoking the power of Hymn of Therin, and awakening the Goddess from her prison, allowing Daphne to release her (though Osric is killed in the encounter). Afterwards, Daphne is offered an unlimited wish by Therin. She uses it to resurrect Osric, much to the extreme disapproval of Cass, who insults her and storms out. After the campaign ends, with positive comments from Gary and Leo, Lodge is inspired enough to finish his module and has it published. Sometime later, Cass apologizes for his behavior and the group begins another adventure. Lodge wants to send his group through the adventure module that another group was playing in the first The Gamers film, but upon mentioning 'The Shadow', Mark screams in fear and runs from the gaming store, hitting Cass in his stampede. Characters *'Kevin Lodge/Sir Osric' (Nathan Rice) - The Game Master and leader of the quest. Lodge believes in story over rules, and is often at odds with the player Cass. The actor who played Lodge was in the first movie, but, due to his opinions on the conflct between story and rules, this does not seem to be the same character. *'Joanna/Daphne' (Carol Roscoe) - The new player who cares more about the story than levels. She is portrayed as the token female player and is at first not taken seriously by the other gamers. She plays a fighter with unusual stats. *'Cass/Brother Silence' (Brian Lewis) - Joanna's ex and an arrogant obsessed gamer who plays a monk. He plays with a by-the-rules attitude and prefers an hack n' slash style of gameplay. *'Gary Wombah/Luster' (Christian Doyle, Jen Page) - A male who plays a powerful female sorceress who likes to destroys NPCs (especially peasants). Jennifer Page plays the female Luster, as well as Gary's math professor whom he based his character on. *'Leo/Flynn the Fine' (Scott C. Brown) - The unlucky player whose womanizing Bard dies a total of 28 times throughout the film in combat. He dies so many times in a single combat that Leo actually suggests using the "mound of bards" as cover. Leo is the owner of the game store that the players game at. *'Therin, Goddess of Light' (Emily Olson Quann) - The good deity that the players serve. Olson Quann played the foulmouthed "princess" in the first The Gamers movie. *'Mort Agrippa' (Don Early) - The first villain, governor of the village where the party tries to rest for the night. *'Mort Kemnon' (Geoff Gibbs) - The primary villain, a necromancer who discovered the Mask of Death and planned to overthrow the king. *'Hierophant' (Ed Gibbs) - The final villain, a high-ranking cleric who wishes to use the mask to rekindle the Light of Therin. *'Drazuul' (Tallis Moore) - A death demon who rules the Village of Westhaven. He is tortured to death by Luster. *'Mark' (Chris Duppenthaler) - Surviving player from the first The Gamers. Makes two cameo appearances.